Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant

Hosea 6

1 Come, a and let us return to the LORD;
For b He has torn, but c He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will 1 bind us up. 2 d After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight. 3 e Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD.
His going forth is established f as the morning;
g He will come to us h like the rain,
Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

4 "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?
O Judah, what shall I do to you?
For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,
And like the early dew it goes away. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by i the words of My mouth;
And 2 your judgments are like light that goes forth. 6 For I desire j mercy 3 and k not sacrifice,
And the l knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 "But like 4 men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me. 8 m Gilead is a city of evildoers
And 5 defiled with blood. 9 As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of n priests o murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit p lewdness. 10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the 6 harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.

11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.

Hosea 7

1 "When I would have healed Israel,
Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered,
And the wickedness of Samaria.
For a they have committed fraud;
A thief comes in;
A band of robbers 7 takes spoil outside. 2 They 8 do not consider in their hearts
That b I remember all their wickedness;
Now their own deeds have surrounded them;
They are before My face. 3 They make a c king glad with their wickedness,
And princes d with their lies. 4 "They e are all adulterers.
Like an oven heated by a baker -
He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough,
Until it is leavened. 5 In the day of our king
Princes have made him sick, 9 inflamed with f wine;
He stretched out his hand with scoffers. 6 They prepare their heart like an oven,
While they lie in wait;
10 Their baker sleeps all night;
In the morning it burns like a flaming fire. 7 They are all hot, like an oven,
And have devoured their judges;
All their kings have fallen.
g None among them calls upon Me.

8 " Ephraim h has mixed himself among the peoples;
Ephraim is a cake unturned. 9 i Aliens have devoured his strength,
But he does not know it;
Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him,
Yet he does not know it. 10 And the j pride of Israel testifies to his face,
But k they do not return to the LORD their God,
Nor seek Him for all this.

11 " Ephraim l also is like a silly dove, without 11 sense -
m They call to Egypt,
They go to n Assyria. 12 Wherever they go, I will o spread My net on them;
I will bring them down like birds of the air;
I will chastise them
p According to what their congregation has heard. 13 "Woe to them, for they have fled from Me!
Destruction to them,
Because they have transgressed against Me!
Though q I redeemed them,
Yet they have spoken lies against Me.

14 r They did not cry out to Me with their heart
When they wailed upon their beds.
"They 12 assemble together for grain and new s wine,
13 They rebel against Me; 15 Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms,
Yet they devise evil against Me; 16 They return, but not 14 to the Most High; 14
t They are like a treacherous bow.
Their princes shall fall by the sword
For the u cursings of their tongue.
This shall be their derision v in the land of Egypt.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:18
    Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
    Acts 10:43
    "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
  2. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:39
    Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
    Hosea 5:14
    For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.
  3. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:17
    For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."
    Hosea 14:4
    I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.
  4. Cross References
    Luke 24:46
    Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.
    Acts 10:40
    Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly.
    1 Corinthians 15:4
    And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 54:13
    All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.
  6. Cross References
    2 Samuel 23:4
    And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.
  7. Cross References
    Psalms 72:6
    He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth.
    Joel 2:23
    Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you - The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
  8. Cross References
    Job 29:23
    They waited for me as for the rain, And they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain.
  9. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:29
    Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
  10. Cross References
    Matthew 9:13
    "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
    Matthew 12:7
    But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:12
    When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts?
    Isaiah 1:13
    Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies - I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
    Micah 6:6 - 8
    With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
  12. Cross References
    John 17:3
    And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
  13. Cross References
    Hosea 12:11
    Though Gilead has idols - Surely they are vanity - Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
  14. Cross References
    Hosea 5:1
    Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:9
    Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know.
    Jeremiah 7:10
    And then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'?
    Hosea 4:2
    By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
  16. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:9
    In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.
    Ezekiel 23:27
    'Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry Brought from the land of Egypt, So that you will not lift your eyes to them, Nor remember Egypt anymore.'
    Hosea 2:10
    Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, And no one shall deliver her from My hand.
  17. Cross References
    Ezekiel 23:4 - 8
    Their names: Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister; They were Mine, And they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
    Hosea 5:1
    Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment, Because you have been a snare to Mizpah And a net spread on Tabor.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 25:7
    Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my tr...
    Jeremiah 14:10
    Thus says the LORD to this people: "Thus they h...
    Jeremiah 17:1
    The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron;...
    Hosea 8:13
    For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifi...
    Hosea 9:9
    They are deeply corrupted, As in the days of Gi...
    Amos 8:7
    The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Sure...
  19. Cross References
    Hosea 1:1
    The word of the LORD that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
  20. Cross References
    Micah 7:3
    That they may successfully do evil with both hands - The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.
    Romans 1:32
    Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
  21. Cross References
    Jeremiah 9:2
    Oh, that I had in the wilderness A lodging place for travelers; That I might leave my people, And go from them! For they are all adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men.
    Jeremiah 23:10
    For the land is full of adulterers; For because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, And their might is not right.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:1
    Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine!
    Isaiah 28:7
    But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 64:7
    And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities.
  24. Cross References
    Psalms 106:35
    But they mingled with the Gentiles And learned their works.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 1:7
    Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
    Isaiah 42:25
    Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart.
    Hosea 8:7
    They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up.
  26. Cross References
    Hosea 5:5
    The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them.
  27. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:13
    For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
  28. Cross References
    Hosea 11:11
    They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt, Like a dove from the land of Assyria. And I will let them dwell in their houses," Says the LORD.
  29. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:3
    Therefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation.
  30. Cross References
    Hosea 5:13
    When Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah saw his wound, Then Ephraim went to Assyria And sent to King Jareb; Yet he cannot cure you, Nor heal you of your wound.
    Hosea 8:9
    For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers.
  31. Cross References
    Ezekiel 12:13
    I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.
  32. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:14
    But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments.
    Deuteronomy 28:15
    But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
    2 Kings 17:13
    Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.
  33. Cross References
    Exodus 18:8
    And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
    Micah 6:4
    For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
  34. Cross References
    Job 35:9
    Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
    Job 35:10
    But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night.
    Psalms 78:36
    Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, And they lied to Him with their tongue.
    Jeremiah 3:10
    And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense," says the LORD.
    Zechariah 7:5
    Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me - for Me?
  35. Cross References
    Judges 9:27
    So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
    Amos 2:8
    They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
  36. Cross References
    Psalms 78:57
    But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 73:9
    They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth.
    Daniel 7:25
    He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.
    Malachi 3:13
    "Your words have been harsh against Me," Says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?'
    Malachi 3:14
    You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts?
  38. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:68
    "And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, 'You shall never see it again.' And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you."
    Ezekiel 23:32
    Thus says the Lord GOD: 'You shall drink of your sister's cup, The deep and wide one; You shall be laughed to scorn And held in derision; It contains much.
    Hosea 8:13
    For the sacrifices of My offerings they sacrifice flesh and eat it, But the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins. They shall return to Egypt.
    Hosea 9:3
    They shall not dwell in the LORD's land, But Ephraim shall return to Egypt, And shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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